Riverside Drive sidewalk, bike lane project back on front burner

Stalled plans for the installation of sidewalks leading to and from a Lake Elsinore high school are expected to get back on track with the recent award of a construction contract.

Lake Elsinore Project Manager Peter Ramey said Monday the project near the Lakeside High campus is tentatively scheduled to proceed Jan. 21.

That start date, however, hinges largely on whether the county flood control district agrees with Ramey that the project's effect on a channel will not be significant enough to warrant permits. He has a meeting scheduled Wednesday with the county officials.

"I think they're kind of confused about what we're doing," he said. "That's why I'm having a field meeting to show them."

If they disagree and say the work significantly impedes on the channel to the lake, it could further delay the work that was supposed to be completed more than a year ago.

The project is designed to improve safety by keeping students from walking on the side of the road.

Lakeside High opened in northern Lake Elsinore in 2005 on Riverside Drive just east of the point where the road curves sharply and becomes Grand Avenue.

Students who walk to school along Grand and Riverside west of the campus found it was risky because of the lack of sidewalks, requiring them to walk along the side of the road.

When the issue was brought to the attention of city officials, they set aside tax and grant money available for such improvements. They launched the design and permit approval process in early 2011 with the expectation that the work would be completed by the end of the year.

Yet, as typical of projects involving multiple government agencies, it soon ran into red tape from flood control officials and the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans has jurisdiction over Riverside Drive because it is a segment of state Route 74.

Although the council awarded a construction contract to a bidder in January 2012, the company went out of business while trying to work through the permit issues posed by the state and county agencies.

"We were kind of hung up on some environmental issues that dragged the project out," Ramey said.

City officials rebid the project and in November the council awarded a contract for Lee & Stires Inc. of Ontario to do the work at an estimated cost of $221,400. The total project cost is placed at $258,700, including a construction survey and administrative expenses.

Ultimately, it will result in sidewalks being installed on the north side of Riverside Drive from the high school to Grand and on the west side of Grand from Riverside to Jamiesen Street. Together, the two segments total nearly a half-mile.

The project also includes placing a pedestrian bridge over the flood channel, which will enable students to cross the waterway without walking on Riverside Drive's roadway.